NBA FINALS: CELTICS VS. WARRIORS

June 4, 2022

Marcus Smart

Boston Celtics

Practice Day

Q. Marcus, what makes this defense this year different from past defenses you've played on here?

MARCUS SMART: The versatility in each role. You know, no offense to those other teams, but there was always somebody on the court for us that we had to cover for. You know, teams did a good job of exploiting that, especially in the playoffs, it's all about adjustments and matchups. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

So somebody would always pick on the guy that we had that we would always have to help, and it would put a strain on our defense. This year it's kind of tough to do that because in every position everybody can hold their own in each and switch and guard multiple positions, and that's what makes us stronger.

Q. What kind of adjustment do you anticipate? They gave you guys some pretty good space to shoot the last game. Were you surprised by that, and do you see that tightening up?

MARCUS SMART: I wouldn't say we were surprised. I mean, when you got two great players in Jaylen and Jayson on your team, everybody is focused on those guys and you make everybody else beat you, and you live with the results. We understood, it's been like that for us that all season. Guys just really making us prove it, and we just continue to do that.

The adjustment I can see them making is just a little bit more tighter on us, and trying to make our shots even tougher, not that open. But we're basketball players, just like those guys, and we're going to have to adjust to whatever they do, just like they're going to have to adjust to us.

Q. And the extra days in between, how much is that helping you with your leg?

MARCUS SMART: Oh, it's big. It's big time for me. With an ankle injury or any type of injury, the more time you can get off, the more rest, it's definitely good. So just keep going. The trainers are doing a very good job making sure on those off days we're doing everything we're supposed to. Not overdoing it, but also making sure we're getting the work in to continue the healing process.

Q. Marcus, when you know that you're going to be the kind of lead point guard going into the season, what kind of adjustments, whether it was physical or mental, did you make to prepare for that role? And did the first two months of the year cause you to lose any confidence in your kind of ability to do that?

MARCUS SMART: No, it didn't make me lose any confidence. I was just more confident, to be honest. I know this may be hard to believe, but I was even more confident in those first two months just for the simple fact because I knew everything was new. We were all changing and trying to adjust. Once things start to click, for me, the ability that I bring to this game on that point guard position would be noticed tremendously. So for me, I was just excited to have the opportunity to show what I can do with the keys to the ship.

It was a struggle trying to get adjustments, understanding my teammates weren't used to me playing that role. Coaches, new coaches, and just really trying to figure things out from the standpoint of where everybody belonged. We had a lot of guys that deserve to be on the court, and from a first-year coach in Ime, he had a struggle trying to figure that out, rightfully so.

But we stuck with it. We trusted in our front office. We trusted in our coaching staff. We trusted in one another, and now we're here.

Q. Marcus, during the NBA Finals, how would you define your mentality on defense when you're on the court for 48 minutes?

MARCUS SMART: Just for me, I would probably describe it as a lion out on the prowl hunting. Playing against a team, like I said, that's been here and knows what it takes, and they're the hunted. We're the hunters right now. We're trying to get to their level and get to where they're at.

So for me, I'm just out, I'm stealth, I'm waiting for my time to strike and my opportunity.

Q. Gary Payton obviously was there when you won the DPOY Award. I don't know if you saw him in Game 1, but he was there. Going up against his son, I know he didn't play, but going up against Gary Payton II, how much fun is that?

MARCUS SMART: It's an honor to be in the same breath as one of the best to do it in that position, let alone win that award and having him present it to me. Me and Gary had a relationship even before the award, just the things coming out of college and watching his tapes and him telling me I remind him of him. And then to see his son, who's a spitting image, comes in, and we all know what he can do on that end, too.

So it's special to be on the same court with that guy, and I'm glad to see him back from his injury and excited to really get that opportunity to go up against him.

Q. Marcus, you've been on a few of these playoff rodeos with this team. Obviously there have been some playoff shortcomings for you. In those moments, did you go through any like moments where you questioned whether you were doing things the right way? Do you question yourself at all? Could you see this point kind of in that path?

MARCUS SMART: I guess you can say I questioned myself. Wasn't really much of a question myself, just what could I do more? I know what I'm supposed to do, but what else can I give? More than did I do something right, or was it the right thing to do? It was more of what can I do more of to help this team?

For me, it was just getting that opportunity. I'm a smart basketball player. I'm a smart person, and I knew that I'll figure it out, and this team will figure it out. So once I was able to take the keys, I had a plan in my head of how I wanted things to go, and I just continued to stick with it.

For me, it was just blunt force. Come in and take it head on, headstrong, take nothing from nobody, and never let anybody tell me what I can't do.

Q. If you could go back to when Ime was hired, how familiar were you with him as a player? Did you do any Basketball Reference research or anything like that? I'm curious kind of how his path as kind of a grind-it-out role player informs the way maybe he coaches you guys.

MARCUS SMART: We all knew Ime as the player, but I think we kind of start to remember him more as the coach. Won a ring as a player, won a ring as a coach. He coached under the greatest to ever do it in Pop, and then he went over and coached with Steve Nash and those guys over there. He's a sponge. Every place he went, if there was a player or coach, he soaked it all in, put it into his game, and then brought it over here to us.

But I definitely think that the way that he plays and the way that he coaches is the exact same. He brings that same mentality that he had on the court off the court, and when you've got a coach like that, it's kind of hard not to follow the lead and follow that energy. You heard JB say it, the energy is going to shift. It's all about energy. If the energy's right, you're going to rock with it. If it's not, then you're not.

It's plain and simple. I think his energy has been contagious to us all.

Q. First question is in light of the energy, in light of the extra days off, which you say has been beneficial, has anything changed in your routine before games? And my second question is championship talk, when did that start happening for you guys and the team? Was that sort of the elephant in the room, or is there actual, if you can remember, at what point did you actually say, hey, we can go for this thing, we can actually win a championship?

MARCUS SMART: With the injury, nothing has changed. I'm continuing the same thing that I do. In our business, in our profession, routine is key, and being in rhythm with it is key. If it's working, you don't want to switch it up. You built that routine for a reason. You just stick with it. No matter if things are going good or going bad, you have to stick with it.

The championship talk, everybody talks about it, but at the end of the season, you all come together as teams and talk about the goal is to win a championship.

Now, the question for us is talking about it is one thing, but can we really go do this thing? We felt we had a great opportunity to do it, even though nobody else probably thought we did. We still did because we knew we had the pieces on the court, off the court. We had the component. We had the love for one another, and that was it. We felt that put us out there and let us know you what we can do against anybody. It's not going to be perfect. It's not how it's going to work. But nine times out of ten, we're going to prevail and triumph.

Q. Marcus, you guys have struggled in the third quarter throughout the playoffs. You've obviously talked about that a lot. Golden State has always been a team that's come out at halftime and put a big emphasis on those third quarters. What do you guys have to do to not have what happened in Game 1 carry over to Game 2 and beyond in this series in the third?

MARCUS SMART: Just lock down a little bit more. I think we fought so hard to take that lead into halftime in Game 1, they had a little bit more rest and energy coming out, a little bit more spark. We can't allow that. Especially at this time, there's no excuses for that. We've been doing it for a long time. We've had a lot of practice. We've got to fix it.

Like I said, it's not going to be perfect. We're going to have times where things just don't go our way. But one thing we can't do is allow people to go and do the things we know they're going to do in tendencies and get away with it.

We know they're a great third-quarter team. We understand our woes in the third quarter, and we've just got to turn it around.

Don't forget, y'all, see this shirt. We are with BG (Griner), man.